Glasgow MSP James Kelly is calling on the people of Rutherglen and beyond to become greener and make a positive impact on climate change following his visit to the town’s R:evolve Recycle store.

James already knew about and supported the work of LEAP, but with climate change being so high on people’s agendas just now, he wanted to find out more about the sustainable fashion ethos of R:evolve Recycle’s projects.

James was given the grand tour by volunteer couple Eileen and John McCormack, who have been involved

with R:evolve for more than three years, and Dawn Anderson, who is now a friend of the couple after meeting them through volunteering at R:evolve. They described the shops’ clothes swapping process and membership, which James signed up for immediately, and talked about how people being referred to the projects clothing bank are also encouraged to become members.

Eileen said: “People are being referred to our clothing bank because they cannot afford new clothes. While we’re more than happy to help them out, we also want to instill in them the ethos of recycling, and give them some points to start the swapping process in store.

“They can then also swap their clothes in the future, giving them access to a wider wardrobe than they would usually have.”

James also heard about the workshops and R:evolve’s aim to re-establish a culture of sharing, repairing and caring for our clothing and textiles, and also the social benefits of people getting together to do a craft or textile class in a community setting.

Dawn Anderson said: “It is vitally important we keep getting people to think sustainably about fashion. Last year R:evolve stopped almost 19 tonnes of clothes going to landfill.

“That’s just for part of South Lanarkshire. Think how much that means we’re wasting across Scotland, and how much CO2 pollution that relates to.

“I’m glad James is so interested in the project and I hope he can help spread the word wider.”

James Kelly said: “There is somewhat of a throwaway culture these days when it comes to clothing and it is important to recognise the impact this has on the environment.

“When I was growing up, it was normal to share and repair clothing instead of just replacing the old for the new – especially being part of a big family. It is excellent that the staff and volunteers at R:evolve are bringing that back.

“It is great to see them encouraging people to buy and dispose of their clothes in a way which keeps sustainability in mind.”

​